


Windows

by The_Clock_Strikes_Twilight



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Childhood, Destiny, Fate, Fate & Destiny, Fluff, Growing Up, M/M, Meant To Be, Red String of Fate, Reunions, Separations, Teenagers, slight angst i suppose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2020-09-26 18:43:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20394376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Clock_Strikes_Twilight/pseuds/The_Clock_Strikes_Twilight
Summary: Now it’s graduation day and Lea honestly can’t believe he’s even made it this far. Better yet, he can’t believe he’s been given a full ride through his university. It seems like some sort of dream. Far too good to be true. And despite not having spoken to his blue-haired childhood friend in five years, he can’t help but feel as if this moment would be much more fulfilling with Isa here. At his side. That had been their original plan, after all. Now Lea isn’t even sure what college the other will be attending...





	1. 5 Years

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not very good at writing young children, soooo...idk it might be awkward dialogue lmao I apologise ahead of time if it is x3

Lea stands tucked away in the corner of the classroom. He watches the other kids as they run around and make up different games to play with each other. He stands waiting for one of them to approach him and ask him to join. He knows none of them will. The other kids always say he plays too rough. The teachers tell his parents the same. So, his parents told him he needed to step back and be more considerate of the other kids and how they feel.

He doesn’t understand why his feelings don’t seem to be just as important.

As he’s observing his classmates playing, he notices a couple of them standing off to the side. They seem to be bent over and snickering at something. He tilts his head as his feet react before his brain can tell him it might not be the best idea. His curiosity has gotten the better of him, though.

“What a _stupid_ colour,” he hears one of the boys say as soon as he’s close enough to them. “And what’s with the weird mark on your face?”

More snickering. Lea looks between his classmates to see another one crouched down on the other side, hugging his knees to his chest, his face buried in them. Lea’s face scrunches up, determined, and he shoves past the two boys to kneel before him.

“Hey, what’s your problem, _Fireball_?” the second boy says.

He ignores them, focusing on the blue-haired boy hiding his face. “Hey.” He lifts his head ever so slightly and Lea gives him a warm smile. “Are you all right?”

Right away, the boy buries his—tearstained—face again. The laughter starts back up from their other two classmates.

“He’s crying,” the first boy says. “He’s such a baby.”

Lea gets up and pushes him. “Stop being so mean.”

“Or what, _Fireball_?”

His face scrunches up again as he grabs his classmate’s arm and bites him. Hard. He cries out and runs off to the teacher, his friend following close behind him.

“Who’s the baby now?” Lea mumbles. He then turns back on the blue-haired boy, who’s now looking directly at him. He smiles again. “Hiya.”

He brings his gaze down. “Why did you do that?”

“They were being mean to ya.”

“That doesn’t seem like a good enough reason. You don’t even know me.”

“Well…what’s your name?”

He sniffles. “Isa.”

“And my name’s Lea. So there.” He nods his head once, self-assuredly. “Now we know each other.”

Isa’s still hugging his knees, but a small smile is tugging at his lips.

“Lea Sinclair,” the teacher then calls out. The redhead winces before turning to watch her storm over to him. “Did you _bite_ your classmate?”

He looks downwards. “Yes.”

“What made you think that would be a good idea?”

“They were teasing Isa. I was just sticking up for him.”

“And that’s quite admirable, but biting is not a form of defence. We use our words in this classroom, not our actions.”

“But I thought actions spoke louder than words.”

She pauses. “You have earned yourself a timeout, young man.” She points towards the door. “Three minutes in the hall.”

“That’s not very fair,” Isa speaks up, now back on his feet. “Why should he get a timeout when he was only trying to help?”

“Because biting a classmate is not appropriate.”

“Neither is teasing a classmate.”

“Fine,” the teacher says, giving in. “No timeouts. Playtime is over, though.” She claps her hands twice. “Everyone, return to your seats.”

Audible groans of disappointment sound off from the rest of his classmates. Lea is more than content with the situation, though. He sits at the table towards the back of the room, the rest of the kids sitting far away from him. Except Isa. He sits right next to Lea, shooting him a shy smile. Lea responds with a full-blown grin.

He thinks he’s just made a friend.


	2. 9 Years

2am.

Lea can’t sleep. He lay in the dark staring at the ceiling. He keeps yawning and knows he’s tired, but he just can’t sleep. He hates nights like these. Nights when it’s far too dark for his own liking. Too quiet.

He catches the glare of a light flashing out of the corner of his eye. He shakes his head out of confusion before it hits him—

Isa.

He shifts onto his knees and looks out the window. There are a couple more flashes before the light is redirected to reveal Isa’s soft smiling face. Lea grins, practically backflipping to grab his own flashlight so he can illuminate his face as well.

Lucky for this duo, the houses in Radiant Gardens were built close enough together that they can physically speak to each other.

“Not often you flash for my attention,” Lea says once he’s opened the window, keeping his voice low.

“I had a bad dream,” Isa says. “I can’t fall back asleep.”

“What happened in the dream?”

He shakes his head. “I’d rather not talk about it. I just need a distraction.”

“I can distract you. I’m good at distractions.”

Another small smile. “Trust me, I know.” He pauses. “I’m glad you were still up.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep.” He pouts. “There are some nights I’m just so tired, but no matter how long I keep my eyes closed, nothing happens.” His pout intensifies as he sticks his bottom lip out even further. “It’s dumb and unfair.”

Isa chuckles a little. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Lea smiles. He loves being able to make Isa laugh, even if it is just a little bit. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

Just then, Isa’s light flashes off. Lea’s eyes widen a bit as he waits for it to turn back on. It feels like hours before it finally does.

“Sorry,” Isa says. “I heard Mama walk by and I’m pretty sure she stopped in front of the door. I wasn’t sure if she might come in or not.”

Lea smiles again. “It’s okay.”

They talk for a while longer. Lea brings up this great new comic he’s started reading and Isa listens attentively, nodding along at the redhead’s excitement. His knowledge about the characters and their whole world inside the story. The intent way Isa’s watching him soon causes heat to rise to his cheeks. That’s when Isa takes over, but he only talks about school. He asks about the current lesson plan and makes sure Lea’s understanding it. He is. Kind of. He’s still too young to care.

Next thing they know, it’s a little past three o’clock in the morning.

Isa yawns. “Speaking of school, we have to be up in just a few more hours for it.”

Lea’s pouting again. “Don’t remind me.” He pauses. “At least you seem sleepy now.”

“You’re not?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Not really.”

“Maybe you should tell your parents.”

“Nah, it’s fine. No big deal.”

“Lea—”

“I don’t wanna keep ya up any longer.”

“Lea, you can talk to your parents. They won’t ignore your feelings.”

“I’m just a kid. They won’t listen to me. They always tell me to just be thoughtful of the other kids. Not myself.”

Isa tilts his head. “Well, I think about you and your feelings all the time.”

If anything, that statement only embarrasses Lea more, his cheeks growing warmer. It’s a weirdly…good kind of embarrassment, though. “Thanks, Isa.”

He nods his head once. “You should at least try to sleep some.” Another yawn. “I’ll see you in the morning, Lea.”

“Yeah. Goodnight, Isa.”

Isa’s flashlight turns off, but Lea remains sitting by his open window. He waits to see if the light will turn back on. If Isa will change his mind. When he doesn’t, he lets out a soft sigh and retires his own flashlight.

Once he gets comfortable in bed again, he closes his eyes. Isa is rarely ever the one to try and get Lea’s attention with the flashlight. It’s always Lea when he can’t sleep. It felt good having it be the other way around tonight. Lea smiles to himself through the darkness. It’s not too dark anymore. Not too quiet.

He loves nights like these.


	3. 13 Years

“W-what do ya m-mean you’re moving?” Lea says, his voice cracking. He silently scolds himself for that. Doesn’t help that there’s already the sting of tears behind his eyes. “You can’t leave.”

“It’s not my choice,” Isa goes on. “My father received a really great job opportunity that he would’ve been foolish to turn down.”

“But…what about school?”

He stifles a small chuckle. “There are other schools, Lea. I’ll be able to transfer.”

“No. I don’t want you to transfer. I don’t want you to move. I want you to stay here.” He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. “What am I supposed to do without you?”

“Please. You’ll be fine without me.”

“And what about you? Will you be okay without me?”

He takes a deep breath. “I’ll manage.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’ve helped me to grow stronger. I’m much better at defending myself now than I was when we were young.”

Too bad that’s not the answer Lea wanted. He wants to hear that Isa still needs him. He wants to know he’s not alone in feeling the way he does. That their relationship isn’t one-sided.

“Maybe you can stay with me and my family until we graduate,” Lea says.

“Don’t be so ridiculous.” Isa says. “First of all, I don’t think my parents would appreciate being away from me for so long. Second of all, your parents don’t even like me.”

“That’s not true.” Isa raises an eyebrow at him and Lea sighs. “Fine. It’s kinda true. But only because my sticking up for you results in me getting into a lot of fistfights.”

“Unnecessary acts of violence.”

“Worth it for you.”

Isa seems taken aback by this comment. His gaze falls down and Lea swears there’s a tint of pink in his cheeks now. This is what he’ll miss. He’ll miss teasing Isa. Getting him all flustered. Their late-night window conversations when neither of them can sleep. Their tutoring sessions that always turn into goofing off because Lea’s only goal is to distract Isa. To stop him from being so serious all the time. Maybe it’s selfish, but he doesn’t want to lose his best friend. He doesn’t wanna lose—

“This isn’t easy for me, either,” Isa speaks up, bringing Lea back to the moment. “It’s been even harder trying to figure out how to tell you.”

Lea smiles sheepishly. “When do you leave?” Tch. Not like he actually wants to hear the answer, but he knows he has to ask.

Isa keeps his gaze down. “At the end of the week.”

His breath catches in his throat. “Oh.” It’s all he can manage to say. The only word left in his vocabulary.

“I’m sorry…”

He shakes his head. Probably with too much vigor. He’s squeezing his eyes shut again. Stupid tears. He can’t cry. Won’t cry in front of Isa. He refuses to look weak.

But then there’s a hand on his shoulder. He opens his eyes to see Isa stranding in front of him. Before he can say anything, though, Isa’s leaning in even closer. Lea’s eyes widen as he feels Isa’s lips press gently against his. A chaste taste of exactly what he hadn’t realised he’s wanted until just now. And he’s never kissed anyone else before, but he still knows this is perfect. But then Isa’s pulling away before Lea can properly react. So, Lea puts his hands upon Isa’s waist to pull him against him and he kisses him again. When Isa wraps his arms around Lea’s neck, he responds by letting his arms slide the rest of the way around Isa’s waist. And there’s a wetness between their lips and Lea can’t tell if it’s him finally crying or Isa or both.

When they break apart for air, they keep their foreheads connected. Isa works on catching his breath and Lea’s trying to stop crying.

“Are ya sure you have to move?” Lea asks, his voice cracking once more.

Isa chuckles sadly. “Unfortunately, yes, I do.” He pulls away more to wipe at Lea’s face, drying his tears. “Hush, now, it’ll be okay.”

Lea sniffles. “How can you say that? Like…how can you be so sure?”

“Because we’ve been through a lot together already. What’s a little distance?”

“Lea,” Isa’s mom then calls from downstairs. “Your mother is asking for you. She needs you to head home now.”

Lea pouts. “Okay, Mrs. Ventura. Thank you.” He’s reluctant to let go of Isa, especially with the way his blue-haired best friend is resting his cheek on his shoulder. “This is still stupid and unfair.”

“I know.” Isa lifts his head to look at the redhead. “You should get going.”

He nods. “Guess so.” He forces himself to step back. To let go. “I’ll still see you tomorrow, right?”

Isa smiles. “Of course.”

He manages to return the smile. “Good.” And he starts to walk away.

“Don’t worry, Lea,” Isa goes on. “Even after I leave, we’ll remain best friends. We’ll keep in touch.”

That statement made his smile more genuine. Of course they’d stay best friends. Because, like Isa had said, what’s a little distance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love the innocence of a first kiss (especially when it's with your childhood best friend) :3


	4. 18 Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at me, back with an update a whole month later lmao In all seriousness, though, I apologise for the wait. This is so not like me (seeing as I usually complete the writing aspects of my stories before I even start posting them), but life sorta got in the way. Y'all know how it is, haha

Lea and Isa don’t stay in touch.

They really tried to at first. Between Isa settling into the new house and the new school, though, and Lea keeping up with his schoolwork in general, well… Their schedules never aligned properly. Then life just got in the way.

Now it’s graduation day and Lea honestly can’t believe he’s even made it this far. Better yet, he can’t believe he’s been given a full ride through his university. It seems like some sort of dream. Far too good to be true. And despite not having spoken to his blue-haired childhood friend in five years, he can’t help but feel as if this moment would be much more fulfilling with Isa here. At his side. That had been their original plan, after all. Now Lea isn’t even sure which college the other will be attending.

As soon as the ceremony is over, Lea returns home to start packing. On top of receiving a full scholarship, he elected himself into a program that gets him moved onto the campus right away. His parents had been disappointed to learn they wouldn’t have the summer to spend with him, but Lea can’t say he’ll care. He’s ready to leave home. To make a new home. To start the rest of his life.

He only packs essentials. Clothes he _knows_ he’ll wear. Notes from high school he’ll figure he’ll need to reference again at some point. A few of his favourite books. He only wants to have to bring one bag with him. Two at the most. There aren’t many things in this old room that hold very much sentimental value to him, anyhow. Except—

A flashlight.

He can’t help the smile that twitches across his face. He picks up the flashlight for the first time in years. He clicks it on and off a few times, surprised it still works. He then glances towards his closed window. He can’t remember the last time he opened it. After Isa left, there was almost no reason to.

He does now.

The light breeze is refreshing. There’s a slight chill that raises goosebumps across his skin. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. It feels like a new beginning. Saying goodbye. When Lea opens his eyes again, though, he imagines his childhood best friend sitting at the window across the way. He misses him. There’s no doubt about that. He can’t for the life of him think of why he didn’t try harder to keep in touch with him. He has no excuse. Then again, it seems Isa didn’t try any harder, either. So why should he care? Because Isa was hist first kiss? Tch. What does that matter? Not like it makes much of a difference. It doesn’t change anything.

Except that kiss did change everything.

With a heavy sigh, Lea shuts the window. Locks it. Now isn’t the time for reminiscing. For thinking of what could have been. Should have been. No. He prefers to live in the moment. To get every moment memorised. Only if it’s positive, though. And wants this right now to be positive. Uplifting. This is the moment the rest of his life begins. Why let the past get in the way of that?

Lea sets the flashlight down and finishes packing. By the time he’s finally done and ready to leave, his parents convince him to stay for one last dinner. Despite wanting to get out, he can’t walk away from his mother’s guilty pout. He can, however, hold back the eyeroll. He certainly won’t miss the guilt-tripping.

He tries not to take part in any of the conversations. He simply focuses on the meal and thinks about getting out of the house as soon as possible. He knows his parents won’t want him to drive once it starts getting dark, so he has to leave while there’s still daylight. He also knows they’re only stalling. If only he could understand why. Eighteen years and now is when they decide to have a real relationship with him. Tch. Too little too late.

“And what about Isa?” his mother abruptly asks.

He freezes mid-bite. “Huh?”

“Isa,” she repeats the name. “What college will he be attending?”

Lea slowly places his fork on the plate as tries to keep his hand from shaking. “Ma, I—I haven’t spoken with Isa since we were, like, fourteen.”

“Nonsense,” his father says. “You two talk all the time, don’t you?”

“Not since he moved.” He shakes his head. “Why are you even asking about him? Neither of you ever liked him.”

“What are you talking about?” his mother goes on. “We _adored_ Isa.”

“Well, ya had a funny way of showing it.” He picks his fork back up but doesn’t even bother with that last bite. “I’ve lost my appetite.” He sets the fork down again and pushes his plate back. “I’m heading out.”

He’s up the stairs before either of his parents can call his name. He grabs the two packed bags from his room and slings them over his shoulder. He breathes deep, taking one last look around. This is it. The moment he’s been waiting for since he was fifteen. He smiles to himself and closes the door behind him as he steps out of the emptied bedroom. Yeah. He’s ready—

Except his hand lingers on the doorknob.

After a moment of hesitation, he pushes the door back open and reenters the room. His stride brings him to his bureau where he picks up the old flashlight. He directs it at the window and flashes it on and off a couple times. He chuckles under his breath and stuffs the flashlight into one of his bags.

Okay. Now he’s ready to take on the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr: fandominmybrain-shipsinmyeyes  
Find me on twitter: @FireStar08


	5. 24 Years (Part One)

“And what exactly makes you a good roommate?” Lea asks the mullet-haired blonde sitting across from him.

“Well,” the guy—Demyx—starts, “I’m super chill. I’ll never judge you, and I’ll always be there if you need something. A ride, a drink, a wingman, bail money. You name it. Also, I enjoy all walks of life, y’know? I don’t give a shit if you’re spiritual or not or whatever, or if you’re gay or demi and just like to fuck around with whoever will fuck back. Doesn’t bother me one bit. You do you, bro.”

Lea can’t help but laugh at these answers. “Your last roommate says he kicked you out due to—” he pauses, rereading the notes he took while he had been on the phone earlier that day, “—Due to, uh…excessive guitar playing past midnight?” Now that he’s saying it out loud, he thinks he may have heard the guy wrong.

“Sitar,” Demyx says. “And yeah, my last roommate was a buzzkill. I always pay the rent on time, though, and isn’t that what really counts?”

“He also said you never picked up after yourself.”

“Hey, I thought you were interviewing me.”

Another chuckle. Demyx seems like an overall good guy with good intentions, but Lea can already tell they’d clash bigtime.

“All right, well, I got a few other interviews today, but I’ll keep you in consideration,” he says as he walks Demyx out. “Thanks for stopping by, and if I choose you, then you’ll hear from me by the end of the week.”

“Sounds good, man. Good luck and no hard feelings.”

He watches Demyx as he makes his way down the hall and to the elevator. He shakes his head at him and starts closing the door. Before he can get it shut, though, there’s a small hand stopping it and pushing it open.

“Uh…hi?” Lea says.

“Are you still accepting applicants for a new roommate?” the kid asks.

Lea looks him up and down. He’s about half his size and looks like he’s barely fifteen. “Sorry, kid, but you need to be at least eighteen.”

“I am eighteen.”

He cocks an eyebrow at him. “You also need to be able to support yourself and pay your way in rent and bills.”

“I work fulltime,” he goes on. “Please. Just interview me. I’m desperate.”

Something in his gut tells him this will be a bad idea, but another part of him can’t reject those bright blue eyes. This kid almost reminds him of himself. Maybe Lea can be to this kid what he never had.

“Come on in,” he says.

“Shit. Thank you so much.”

  
There’s an air of relief in the atmosphere. Lea tells the kid to make himself comfortable and heads into the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee. He then joins the kid on the couch, keeping a safe distance away from him. He’s heard too many horror stories from college and knows better by now.

Lea takes a sip of coffee. “Let’s start with your name.”

“Uhm. Roxas McKinney,” the kid says as he places the cup down on the end table. “And, seriously, thank you for this.”

“Yeah, why are you so desperate?”

“Honestly, I just need to get away from my family. They’re super controlling and I know they want what’s best for me, but it’s just not what I want, too. If I tell them what it is that I want to do, though, they definitely won’t pay for my college attendance. So, I really just need a place I can stay while I work and earn enough to save up so I can at least go to community college or take some online courses or something.”

“What career have your parents chosen for you?”

Roxas rolls his eyes. “We came from a family of doctors, so they want me to continue the so-called tradition.”

“And what is it you want to do?”

“Well, I wanna help people and make a difference.” He pauses. “A-and I know that that’s technically, in a sense, what a doctor does, but I just…” He sighs. “I don’t wanna be like my parents. I can’t follow in their footsteps. It’s just not who I am. I’m more creative than I am analytical or whatever. And I need to do what’s right for me and what would make me happy, even if it does disappoint my parents.”

Lea nods his head. “Ya got guts, kid. A lot of people don’t realise that till they’re my age or older and have already graduated college.” He pauses. “Don’t ya think maybe you aren’t giving your parents enough credit, though? I mean, you truly believe they’d be that disappointed in your decision?”

“Oh, I _know_ they’d be that disappointed. There’s not a single doubt in my mind. That’s why I need to move out as soon as I possibly can.”

He considers this. He can’t deny that he feels for the kid. Maybe his expectations from his own parents hadn’t been so extreme, but he can definitely relate to not having the perfect relationship with them. So how can he turn him away?

“You’ll be able to pay your half in rent and bills?” Lea breaks the silence.

Roxas perks up a bit. “Oh. Yes. Definitely”

“And on time?”

“I always find a way.”

How he shakes his head. “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but… Okay.”

The kid freezes. “Okay?”

“Okay.” He gestures to the open apartment. “Welcome to your new home.” He gets to his feet. “Let me show you around and you can move in as soon as you’re able.”

Roxas remains sitting, but looks up at Lea, almost in disbelief. “You seriously have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Nah, kid, I get it. Trust me.”

He shows Roxas around the apartment and lets him know which room would be his. From there, they agree on a move-in date and agree to sit down and fully go over each of their responsibilities and whatnot as roommates.

Once the kid’s gone, Lea steps out onto the balcony. It’s his absolute favourite part of the apartment. Pretty much the whole reason he decided to rent it. Only downfall is that the buildings are built so close together in the city; he could easily jump from his own balcony to the one right across the way. Huh. Well, hopefully his neighbours on the other side are friendly.

He breathes deep and allows himself to relax as he watches the colours of the sunset fade over the alleyway. The views here aren’t nearly as great as in the country, but he still isn’t complaining. As much as he misses Radiant Gardens, he has no desire to go back. That part of his life is done and over with. That’s what living in the moment is all about, right? Not looking back. Hmm…

The next exhale isn’t as cheerful. He shakes his head and shakes it off before heading back inside. As he begins to pull the curtains closed across the balcony’s sliding doors, though, Lea freezes.

Was that—? No, it couldn’t have been. It’s just…not possible.

Across the way, through the apartment window, he almost could’ve sworn he caught a glimpse of a head of blue hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr: fandominmybrain-shipsinmyeyes  
~ OR ~  
Find me on twitter: @FireStar08


	6. 24 Years (Part Two)

When Lea gets home from work that day, he slams the front door shut with much more force than he had intended. This causes Roxas to appear from the kitchen with wide eyes and a somewhat withdrawn posture. Shit. Lea should know better. He should know to be more considerate.

“Bad day?” Roxas speaks up.

“Yeah. Sorry.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “Boss is a dick.” He makes his way to the kitchen and opens the fridge to pull out a beer. “He tells us to do one thing and changes the plan for it halfway through and then wonders why the fuck it hasn’t been completed on time.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s exhausting.”

“Sounds it.” He takes a seat at the table. “You hungry? I was gonna order food.”

“Where from?”

“You really have to ask?”

He chuckles. “I’ll have my usual, then.”

Roxas smiles and pulls out his phone. As he dials, Lea takes his beer and heads out to the balcony. He sets the bottle on the ledge before turning around and leaning against it. He heaves a deep breath as he tilts his head up towards the sky. He opens his eyes, unaware of when he had closed them, and admires the colours of the setting atmosphere. A good sunset has always been his favourite sight. The view from the apartment may not be the best, but the colours still never falter.

“Lea?” a voice says from behind him.

He freezes for a short moment. When he finally turns around, he’s awestruck by the face he sees across the way. The _stranger_ he sees. A head of blue hair and teal eyes. He almost doesn’t wanna believe it.

“Isa…” he breathes.

His childhood best friend shoots him a half smile. “It really is you.”

He swallows hard. He opens his mouth to respond, but he’s at a loss for words. Hell, he hasn’t seen Isa for years. There should be plenty he’d want to talk about. He can’t bring himself to hold a conversation, though, and he doesn’t understand why.

“How are you?” Isa goes on.

“N-not—Not bad,” Lea says. “How about you?”

“I’ve been well.”

He nods his head as he looks the other up and down. “You grew your hair out.”

“Please, don’t even get me started on your hair.”

That gets a chuckle out of him. “I can’t believe this. Of all the cities and all the complexes and all the apartments…”

“I know.” Isa takes a deep breath. “Are you attending school?”

“Graduated already. You?”

“Two more years left.”

“What are you majoring in?”

“Law.”

Lea’s eyes widen at this. “Wow.” He shouldn’t be surprised. He’s not surprised. “Good for you, man.”

“What about you? What did you major in?”

“Uh…” He scratches the back of his head apprehensively. “Well, didn’t major in anything nearly as good as becoming a lawyer. Just sort of artsy bullshit.”

“Yes, that makes a lot of sense,” Isa says. “You’ve always been the creative type. Thinking outside the box. Always came to the same conclusion as everyone else, but never in the same way.” He smiles. “I remember how much it used to frustrate our teachers.”

“Hah, yeah…” He clears his throat. Clears it of the awkwardness. Of all the words already left unsaid. Of all the memories he doesn’t dare mention. “Uhm…”

“Hey, food should—” Roxas starts, poking his head out onto the balcony. He stops when he spots Isa. “Oh, my bad.” He grins. “Are you flirting with our window neighbour?”

“Tch.” Lea holds back an eyeroll. “Hardly.”

“Well, as I was saying, food should be here in about fifteen minutes.” Roxas gives Isa another onceover. “Sorry for interrupting.” And he disappears back inside.

“Boyfriend?” Isa speaks up after a long moment of silence.

“Oh, fuck no,” Lea says. There’s no real heat behind it, he just hates when people assume that about him and Roxas. “He’s practically still a child. Only eighteen but comes from a pretty messed up homelife and wanted to get away from it. I couldn’t tell him no.”

“Always one to take in strays.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Whatever. He’s a good kid.”

“I didn’t mean that as a bad thing.”

“Right, well—”

“Y’know, I’m not seeing anyone, either,” Isa then says.

Lea pauses. “Yeah? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Isa seems taken aback by this response. “I just—” He shakes his head. “Never mind.” He pushes himself away from the ledge. “I should get going. I have a lot of studying to get done.” And he turns to leave.

“Hold on,” Lea says instinctively. He reaches out across the open space between their balconies—like that’ll do anything—knocking over his beer bottle in the process. Not another word is spoken until they hear the distinctive sound of the bottle finally hitting the ground and shattering. “Don’t go…” Lea then continues, his voice barely audible. Tch. He feels like he’s thirteen all over again.

Isa remains on his balcony. “You’re as childish as ever,” he speaks up, arms folded across his chest.

He smiles. “Sorry I couldn’t grow up to be a big, bad lawyer like yourself.”

Now he’s rolling his eyes. “I can’t believe I’ve spent the last ten years missing a jackass like you.”

His smile grows even wider. “I’ve missed you, too, Isa.”

Isa looks down and, despite the darkening atmosphere, Lea swears he can spot the hint of a blush across Isa’s cheeks. It causes his own cheeks to flush.

“I really do need to study,” Isa then says. “I have a big exam coming up.”

Lea nods his head once. “No problem. Let me know if ya need a distraction.”

Isa smiles. Damn it, Lea’s missed that smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.” With that, Isa returns inside his apartment.

Lea continues watching the sliding door until Roxas comes back out to let him know the food’s arrived. He gives him a quick _thanks_ and looks back across to the other balcony. To _Isa’s_ balcony. He still can’t believe it. After all these years…

Life just got so much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such another long delay x.x Work's been pretty crazy lately, and I've been working 1a - 9a shifts to prep for xmas. Gotta love retail lmao Either way, thanks to everyone for being so patient with me and this dumb story x3


	7. 24 Years (Part Three)

Lea and Isa start having a lot of late-night balcony talks. Just like when they were kids at their windowsills. Except now they don’t have to worry about waking their parents. Then again, Lea does still have to be mindful of Roxas, whereas Isa lives on his own and has no roommate to be concerned about.

They focus on catching up. Isa tells Lea all about the city he had moved to and the school he had transferred to. He tells him how adjusting had been much more difficult than he had anticipated. Lea wants to tell him that the adjustment to Isa being gone was difficult, too, but doesn’t say anything in fear of unintentionally diminishing Isa’s hard times. Tch. Sometimes Lea feels like he thinks too much.

Tonight is different, though. Tonight is more relaxed. They’ve done enough catching up and the rest is just day-to-day happenings.

“I have no classes tomorrow,” Isa suddenly says after a moment of silence between the two of them. “You should come over so that we can actually speak in person.”

“I didn’t realise we hadn’t been speaking in person,” Lea says. He jokingly reaches out his hands as if he’s touching an imaginary wall. “Is there some sort of screen between us or something?”

Isa chuckles. “Shut up. You know what I mean.”

Lea smiles in response. “Yeah, I’m free tomorrow.”

“Perfect. I’m going to head to bed, then. Feel free to come over whenever.”

Lea watches Isa as he enters his apartment and draws the curtains shut over the balcony’s sliding door. When he heads inside himself, he’s greeted by a smirking Roxas. He’s cocks his eyebrow at the kid. “What’s your issue?”

“Got a hot date tomorrow, huh?”

Now he rolls his eyes. “It ain’t a date. We’re just two old friends hanging out.” He makes his way for his bedroom. “G’night.”

“Sure, but isn’t this the guy you had your first kiss with?”

He freezes. “Why the hell do I bother telling you anything?”

That only causes his grin to widen. “It’s about time you got laid,” he says as he returns to his bedroom.

“Shut up. You’re a child. You shouldn’t be talking about such crude things.”

“Fuck you.”

Lea chuckles to himself as he hears the kid’s door slam shut. He then finally makes it to his own bedroom. Except he can’t sleep. Hell, he feels like a child on Christmas Eve. It’s all he can do to not constantly check the time.

Next thing he knows, it’s nearly twelve o’clock in the afternoon. He jumps out of bed and throws on the first pair of pants he can find. He has one arm and half his head through a shirt as he stumbles into the kitchen. Once his second arm and the rest of his head find their way out, he sees Roxas standing before him with a cup of coffee.

“Thanks, kid,” Lea says as he takes the mug.

“No problem.” He grabs his jacket. “I’ll see you later. Have fun on your hot date.”

“It’s not—” The front door slams shut before he can get the rest of the words out. “It ain’t a date,” he then says to himself.

He lets out a heavy sigh. No. It’s not a date. Definitely not. He and Isa are just gonna be hanging out. There’s nothing more to it. Except Lea can’t stop thinking about the kiss they shared when they were thirteen. He can’t help but wonder how different it would be now. How much _better_ it would be now. This isn’t a date, though. So, there will be no kissing. No kissing… Huh.

That thought disappoints him.

He finishes getting ready and heads to the next apartment complex over. He goes up four flights of stairs until he finds himself standing outside Isa’s front door. _Shit_. Why is he so nervous? He has no reason to be. He and Isa have been getting along just as well now as they had as kids. Like they haven’t been separated for the last ten years. So why does his stomach keep somersaulting?

When he gathers up the courage to finally knock on the door, it ends up opening on its own. Except Isa isn’t standing on the other side. A small girl with short black hair is. She smiles shyly at Lea before passing by him without so much as a word. Maybe he’s at the wrong apartment. No, that can’t be it. If a small girl opened her door to see _Lea_ standing outside it, her reaction probably would not have been as calm as that.

Then Isa appears by the door. “Lea,” he says, somewhat startled. “How long have you been here?”

“Uhm…” He clears his throat. “N-not long.”

“Well, come in.” He opens the door wider and gestures inside. Lea steps through, trying not to show any hesitation. Isa closes the door behind him. “Please, take a seat anywhere. Make yourself comfortable.”

Lea nods his head once. “Thanks.” He opts for sitting on the couch. “Uh…who was that that just left?”

“Hmm?” Isa pauses, seemingly having to think about the question. “Oh, are you referring to Xion?”

“I dunno. I guess.” He looks around a bit. “Is she your girlfriend or something?”

“First of all,” Isa starts as he joins Lea on the couch with two cups of coffee, “I told you already that I’m not seeing anyone. Second of all, she’s barely eighteen.” He takes a sip of his own coffee. “She graduated high school early and is attending the same University as me. It’s her first year, but we would pass each other on campus a lot. I came across her one afternoon while she was trying to study by herself and I could tell she was struggling. Poor girl looked as if her head was about to burst. So, I stopped to help and we just sorta clicked. Been friends ever since. She’s a very sweet girl.” He grins. “Maybe we could set her up with your roommate.”

He chuckles. “I actually don’t think Roxas is really into the dating scene.”

“Just a thought.”

“Right.” He pauses. “I just hadn’t been expecting her. I mean, you told me you were free today.”

“I am free. She texted me first thing this morning, though, in need of advice. And since she has an easier time articulating her thoughts in person, I told her to just stop by.”

“Oh. Yeah. Uh…that makes sense.”

Isa grins. “Never thought of you as the jealous type.”

Heat flares in Lea’s cheeks at this. “Nah, I ain’t jealous.” He tries to laugh it off. “Again, she just took me by surprise.”

Isa places his mug down on the coffee table and Lea does the same with his untouched cup. He’s unsure as to why he’s suddenly turned into a babbling idiot, but before he can apologise, Isa’s lips are against his and it’s all he can do to kiss back. It’s desperate and overdue and, damn it, _so much better_ than when they were thirteen. Tch. Of course it’s better. That would only make sense. But why the hell is Lea thinking about that? He’s kissing Isa. His childhood best friend. His childhood crush. He’s kissing him and being pushed back by him and—And when Isa breaks the kiss the look down at him… The way his hair falls around his face and frames it leaves Lea absolutely breathless. Isa smirks softly before he begins kissing at Lea’s neck and Lea wants it to feel good—it does feel good—but there’s something nagging at him at the back of his head.

“Guess I didn’t pick up on the insinuation when you invited me over,” he speaks up.

Right away, Isa pushes himself back. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“No, no, it’s fine. You don’t have to apologise. I just never thought of you as the type to rush into things.”

“I don’t.” He swallows hard. “I’ve just missed you.” His cheeks flush. “A lot.”

Lea’s back on him barely a moment later. Isa chuckles into the kiss, the sound resonating from the back of his throat and it only spurs Lea on. He resists the urge to moan, but Isa nipping at his bottom lip turns that into a lost cause. Then Isa flips their positions so that Lea is on his back again. Huh. Lea can most certainly get used to being lost in a curtain of azure hair. He has no complaints whatsoever.

He does, however, have complaints about the insistent buzzing sound. He blindly grabs for his phone to turn it off, but he catches a glimpse of the screen.

“Shit,” he says.

Isa doesn’t remove his lips from Lea’s neck, just speaks against his skin when he asks, “Who is it?”

“It’s work. It could be important.”

That’s when Isa backs off. “You can answer if you need to.”

“Are ya sure?”

“Of course.”

He nods once and answers the phone. “Hello?”

The rest of the call doesn’t take long. His boss first yells about nothing getting done right or on time. Then he yells about the incompetency of the other employees and how no one knows what they’re doing. From there, Lea isn’t left with much of a choice. When he ends the call, he lets out a heavy sigh.

“I’m so sorry, but I have to go into work.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing. It’s dumb. Just a couple of the other guys messed up some big project and I’m the only one my boss trusts to fix it.”

“That’s quite the honour.”

“Tch. Barely.” He looks to Isa and runs a hand through his long hair. “We’ll have to pick up where we left off another time.”

Isa closes his eyes at the touch. “I don’t mind.” Then he’s blushing again. “If you want, you could even come back over once you’re done at work.”

“We’ll see. I mean, I’d love to, but I just have a feeling it’s gonna be a late night.” He gets to his feet. “I’ll call ya later to let you know what’s going on.”

“Sounds good.”

With that, Lea takes his leave. Never has his job felt less important, but he knows he has to go in. Isa will be around later. His so-called career, not so much. Besides, the wait will be worth it. Hell, he’s waited ten years already. What’s a little while longer?


	8. 24 Years (Part Four)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!! I have not abandoned this story lmao sorry for such the long delay, but December was a busy month with all the festive prompts I ended up writing and whatnot. I have returned to this story, though, and will be wrapping it up within the next couple of weeks. Enjoy <3

There’s a loud banging at Lea’s bedroom door. He searches for his phone, accidentally knocking it off his bedside table in the process. He groans as he rolls over and lifts himself up to retrieve it from the floor, and then checks the time. He proceeds to drag himself to his feet to begrudgingly open his door. “It is. Two o’clock. In the morning.”

Roxas somehow looks more pissed off than he feels. “You’re right. It is two o’clock in the morning. And your boyfriend is shining a stupid fucking flashlight through the balcony window.”

“Tch. He’s not my boyfriend.”

Far from. Not after what happened.

“I don’t give a shit what he is or isn’t. He’s still shining a flashlight through the window and it’s reflecting into my bedroom.”

“Maybe you should sleep with your door closed, then, like a normal person.”

“Shut up and talk to him.” Lea scoffs as Roxas walks away, but before he can actually respond, Roxas is talking again, “Oh, stop being such a fucking baby.” And he retreats to his own bedroom.

Lea mumbles under his breath before making his way out to the balcony. Sure a shit, Isa’s on the other side with a flashlight, flicking it on and off again just like they used to.

“Yo, you can stop blinding me now,” Lea announces his presence.

Isa stops and sets the flashlight aside. “I figured this would be the only way to get your attention.”

“Actually, you got Roxas’ attention.” He takes a deep breath. “What the hell do you want from me? And why couldn’t it wait till a reasonable hour?”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“What’s your point?”

“I just want to understand why.”

This wakes Lea up more than the cold air does. “You want to know _why_? Tch. Ya really gotta ask?”

Isa lets out a heavy sigh. “If this is about that night from a couple weeks ago—”

“You mean the night that you had a date?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“No?”

“Xion set me up with her unaware of the fact that I’m not…interested in women. But she didn’t inform me of the setup until the very moment of the date. She had all three of us meet up, and then excused herself for _personal reasons_.” He shakes his head. “She seemed so proud of herself and it was already awkward enough—”

“That doesn’t explain why this chick was at _your_ apartment.”

“Well, that was the meetup spot. Xion knows I don’t necessarily enjoy being in crowds, let alone surrounded by strangers, so she figured I’d be more comfortable in my own space. Her intentions were pure, and she meant no harm, and I spoke with her about it the very next day.”

It sounds like a reasonable enough explanation. And Lea has gotten to know Xion a little bit in the last few weeks and doesn’t think she would purposely try and sabotage his so-called relationship with Isa. Ugh. He wasn’t even sure where they stood when that whole scenario took place. Now he’s really unsure.

“You could’ve at least told me what was going on rather than letting me get caught off guard by trying to surprise you.”

“That’s not fair. You told me you would be working late and that you rarely ever look at your phone while you’re at work. So, what was I supposed to do?”

“You still could’ve reached out. Then I would’ve just seen the message once I allegedly got off work. It’s that simple. Instead, I was blindsided.”

“I didn’t mean to blindside you. As soon as Xion left that evening, I even explained the situation to the woman she set me up with.”

“Why should I believe that?”

“What? So, you don’t trust me?”

Damn it. No. Of course Lea trusts Isa. How can he not? That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt, though. And it had stung.

Isa leans against the edge of the balcony. “Lea, please… I know we went over a decade without seeing or hearing from each other, but that never changed how I felt. Every date I went on, I would always compare them to you. It didn’t matter if they were physically there in front of me. If they were someone I could be with right then and there. If they couldn’t compare to you, then they didn’t meet my standards. And no one ever compared to you.”

_That never changed how I felt_. Those words keep ringing in Lea’s ears. What could Isa mean by that? How exactly does he feel?

“Why would I be the basis for your standards?”

Isa chuckles at this. “You truly have to ask that?”

Lea shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe I just wanna hear you say it?”

Now Isa rolls his eyes. “Of course. Ridiculous as ever.” He meets Lea’s gaze from across the balcony. “I am sorry, Lea. And I promise, it didn’t mean anything. And Xion’s sorry, as well. As I said, she truly had no idea about you and me and—”

_You and me_. It sounds so right. “Say it.”

“Hmm?”

“Tell me how you feel.”

Even through the darkness, Lea can still see the colour rise in Isa’s cheeks. “First tell me why you were willing to talk to me now when you’ve been avoiding me for weeks.”

“Roxas didn’t give me much of a choice.” And Lea can’t stay mad at Isa. “So, it’s because I made the mistake of befriending a sentimental eighteen-year-old puppy.”

“Fuck you,” Roxas calls from inside.

Lea purses his lips. “Did I mention he enjoys eavesdropping?”

Another soft chuckle. “Come over, then,” Isa says. “We’ll be able to talk more privately, and I can tell you what you want to hear face-to-face.” He looks down in that shy manner of his and it causes Lea to grin. He then steps up onto the ledge of the balcony. Isa’s eyes widen as he looks back up at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He focuses on keeping his balance. “I’m coming over.”

“I didn’t mean like that.”

“Oh, c’mon, it’s not that wide of a gap.” It really isn’t that bad. It’s a far drop, yeah, but not a far jump.

“Lea, _get down_ from there.”

“As soon as I get across.”

“_No_—”

Except it’s too late. Lea is already—unsteadily—jumping across from his balcony to Isa’s. He clears the gap, frankly, with ease. But he’s unable to catch his balance once he makes it across and slips down, practically falling into Isa. Isa pushes against Lea as he stumbles backwards. Their momentum is only halted once Isa’s back hits the sliding door. Lea stays pressed against him as they catch their breath.

“You are such an idiot,” Isa soon speaks up.

Lea grins again before sliding his hand up to the nape of Isa’s neck, pulling him in for a hard kiss. Isa’s grip on Lea’s arms tighten as he reciprocates the action. And they stay like that for a while. Until there’s a breeze and they’re both caught with a chill.

“We should go inside,” Isa says through the silence.

“Lead the way.”

Isa does. He takes Lea by the hand and leads him inside the apartment. They move past the kitchen and past the living room, stopping outside Isa’s bedroom. He turns to face Lea, but his gaze settles on their clasped hands.

“I am sorry.”

“Stop apologising.” Lea brushes some of Isa’s hair behind his hear with his free hand. “I do trust you. Besides, we’re soulmates.”

This causes Isa to look up at him. “You believe in that nonsense?”

He smiles. “I believe in you and me.” He takes a step closer to Isa, diminishing what little distance there already is between them. “How else would we have ever found each other again?”

Isa softly presses his forehead to Lea’s. “Are you saying…you’re…in love?”

Damn it. He already sounds so breathless and it’s driving Lea wild. He closes his eyes as he gently pushes Isa up against his bedroom door. “Tell me you are, too.”

“I am—” Isa kisses him fervently. Desperately. “—with you.”

They never actually make it inside Isa’s bedroom, but Lea has no complaints. Anywhere he is with Isa is better than being somewhere without him. Much better.

But, hell, a hallway floor has never been so comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love reckless Lea ;3


	9. 24 Years (Part Five)

Lea walks out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He stops in the threshold going into the living room and leans against the doorframe. Isa and Xion are sitting on the floor by the coffee table, books spread across almost every surface. Surrounding them on the floor. On the table. The armchair. Half the couch. And they’re both taking notes from just about every book they can catch a glimpse of. Lea chuckles to himself at the sight of them before entering the sea of the words to set one of the mugs down before Isa.

“Thank you, Lea,” Isa says with a warm smile.

“Of course.” He turns to Xion. “You sure you don’t want anything?”

“Well…” She thinks for a moment. “Actually, hot cocoa sounds pretty good.”

Lea nods his head once and returns to the kitchen. Once he has the water boiling, he hears the front door open and shut. He looks over his shoulder and waits as Roxas soon appears from the short hallway. He collapses on the half of the couch that hasn’t been overrun by books.

“How was your hot date?” Lea asks.

“Y’know, it’s funny when I say it to you,” Roxas starts, “but you just sound like a creep when you say it.”

He scoffs. “Shut up.”

“No, he has a point,” Isa speaks up, not looking away from book he’s currently skimming through.

“Don’t encourage him.”

Roxas grins. “No, encouragement is good.”

“Whatever. How was the not-hot date, then?”

Now he chuckles. “It was fine, I guess. They were nice and all, but…” He lets out a heavy sigh. “I dunno. I’m just not getting what everyone else talks about. Like, I haven’t felt any sort of attraction with anyone yet.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I mean, your face lights up whenever you talk about Isa. And I can see it in your eyes how much he means to you. But I haven’t felt that spark.”

Lea glances at Isa, who is now hiding his face in one of the books. But Lea can still make out the red in his cheeks. He smiles to himself. “Y’know, Rox, it’s gonna not happen the same way for everyone.” He returns to the kitchen when he hears the _click_ to let him know the water has finished boiling. “That’s what makes it so special. Love is unique.”

“But shouldn’t I still feel some sort of attraction towards these people?”

“Maybe you’re asexual,” Xion speaks up, setting her book down. Roxas looks at her with an eyebrow raised and she smiles. “Maybe you don’t have a sexual desire.”

“Uhm…is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Well, it shouldn’t make you feel worse because it’s not a bad thing,” she goes on. “You can still connect with people romantically, but you just don’t feel the need to be physically intimate.”

“Huh?” He leans back again. “That…_does_ make a bit of sense.”

“What brought on the sudden urge to want a relationship anyhow?” Isa then asks. “Lea has said before that you’re not really into the dating scene, after all.”

“Someone called me broken for having never been in a relationship, so—”

Lea practically slams the boiler down on the counter. “Who the fuck said that?”

Roxas shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

He sighs and carries the mug over to Xion. “Well, ya shouldn’t listen to them. They’re broken for telling someone else that they’re broken.”

“Yeah, that’s an _awful_ thing to say to someone,” Xion says. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

“I hate to be the downer here, but Xion and I truly do need to study,” Isa tells them. “Is this a conversation that can be continued later, perhaps?”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to come here to study,” Lea says. “I told you it’d be a distraction.”

Isa scowls, although, there’s no real heat behind it. Lea chuckles, and that’s the end of it. Lea and Roxas both retire to their bedrooms for the evening to give the other two space. It’s nearing one o’clock in the morning by the time there’s a barely audible knock on Lea’s door, followed by Isa granting himself entrance.

“You’re still up?” Isa says.

Lea sets the notebook aside. “I was waiting for you.” He checks the time. “I’m actually a bit surprised you’re finished this early.”

“Xion fell asleep.”

He grins. “Please tell me you didn’t just leave her on the floor.”

“Of course not. I’m not cruel.” He sits on the edge of the bed. “I moved the books out of the way and put her on the couch.”

“Good.”

His grin softens as he moves forward, grabbing a hold of Isa’s arms and tugging gently to pull him onto the bed. Isa doesn’t resist, letting himself get pulled and pushing himself at the same time. Lea drags him up the bed and pushes Isa onto his back before crawling over him.

It’s been just about two months since they resolved the misunderstanding. And the last two months have been perfect. The time they spend together is never dull. Even if the time is spent with Isa studying and Lea writing. Pus, when they introduced Roxas and Xion to each other, they hit it off right away. Ever since, they’ve joked about being a little makeshift family.

It’s nights like these, though, that Lea especially loves. Nights when he can admire Isa at his most vulnerable. The softness of his voice when he’s half asleep. The slight glaze over his teal eyes. That beautiful shade of blue and green. Lea’s favourite colour.

“What were you writing?” Isa asks, his voice barely a whisper.

“Nothing in particular,” Lea says. “Just random thoughts.”

“Thoughts about…what?”

He smiles down at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Isa returns the smile. “What was Roxas talking about earlier?”

“Gotta be a bit more specific than that”

How often do you talk about me and what about me is it you speak of?”

“Hmm…” He leans on one elbow and uses his other hand to play with Isa’s hair. “I talk about you in general. About the little things you do for me. The little things I do for you and how you react to them. I talk about our plans.” He traces the scar across the bridge of his nose. “Hell, I even talk about the mock trials you tell me about and how passionate you are when you explain them to me.”

“Oh, I’m sure Roxas _loves_ hearing about those.”

“He usually tells me to shut up, but that doesn’t stop me.”

He chuckles. “You’re ridiculous, Lea.”

“Ridiculously in love.”

Isa looks at him like it’s the first time Lea has told him that. It’s not the first time. And it sure as hell won’t be the last. Better yet, Lea doesn’t think he’ll ever grow tired of catching Isa off guard by using that phrase.

Lea grins. “I also talk about how much I love your stupid hair colour and the weird marks on your face.”

Isa laughs at this. “Five-year-olds are cruel.” He pauses. “I wonder what ever happened to any of them.”

“I dunno, but I bet that kid has a scar of his own from when I bit him.”

“I still can’t believe you did that, _Fireball_.”

Now Lea’s the one laughing. “Gotta say, that was pretty clever for a five-year-old. And of course I bit him. I’d do anything for you.”

“We were five and you didn’t even know me.”

“Guess I knew in my heart even then that we were meant to be together.”

Isa rolls his eyes at this. “I can’t believe I’m in love with a sappy idiot.”

“Nothing says romance like _biting_.” He winks at him jokingly to emphasise the last word, leaving Isa as a blushing mess. “Man, you’re so easy.”

“Shut up.” He pushes Lea away from him, but only to roll over and get on top himself. “Don’t get me started on being _easy_.”

Once again, Lea is lost in a curtain of azure hair. Another thing he’ll never grow tired of. That and the way Isa smiles at him. It’s captivating. Entrancing. He wants nothing more than to memorise every part of him. Every wrinkle. Every curve. Every detail of every face he makes. When he smiles or cries; he wants to know it all. Experience it all. And he can only hope Isa wants the same.

“What’s on your mind?” Isa breaks the silence yet again.

“You,” Lea says. There’s no hesitation in his voice. No sarcasm. His thoughts have been overtaken by his childhood best friend. The stranger turned lover. And he doesn’t want to think of anything else. He wants to be flooded with thoughts of Isa. He wants to drown in them. “Always you.”

Isa’s nose and brow scrunches in a way that lets Lea knows he appreciates the honesty. The sentimentality. He drops his head and kisses Lea with unabashed desire. Lea smiles against those soft—yet rough—lips. The action dissolves into nothing more than heated kissing, but they’re both left breathless when they finally break apart.

Isa soon rolls into the open space on the bed. After a moment, they both lay on their sides to face one another. Lea reaches out to brush Isa’s hair out of his face and Isa closes his eyes at the touch.

“I’m glad we found each other,” Isa says. “I’m glad we met when we were five, and I’m glad we met again all these years later.”

Lea smiles softly. “Me too. I’ve never stopped shining my flashlight through windows in hopes of finding you.”

“Hmm. You must’ve had a lot of pissed off neighbours.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, were you trying to be profound?”

His smile widens at this. Isa’s eyes are still closed. Lea strokes Isa’s cheeks with his thumb and they both instinctively shift closer to each other. Lea places a kiss on the tip of Isa’s nose, to which Isa responds by kissing his forehead. Simple touches that mean so much. Carry so much weight. They have years to make up for, but they also have years to gain. Years they can spend looking out windows. Watching the sunset. The phases of the moon. Just like they did while growing up. Except now they’ll be together. Now they’ll finally be looking through the same window.

The view has never been better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I made y'all wait, like, two whole months for just two more chapters, haha Although, this fic ended up being way longer than I had originally anticipated. I mean, I went into this thinking it would be maybe three parts, five max (if that), and now here we are nine parts later lmao Either way, I hope y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it <3
> 
> To follow more my shenanigans, find me on:  
Twitter: @FireStar08  
Tumblr: the-clock-strikes-twilight


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